Tag Archives: New Hampshire

White Mountains trip Day 2…. Upper Jackson Falls

 

Yes… we’re still on the second day of our trip.

And yes, we’re still at the Falls.

 

 

Hey, just be glad I’m weeding through the 1704 photos and only giving you the highlights.

 

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Working our way up the falls took some time.

 

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But it really was lovely.

 

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Nothing like hanging out with Mother Nature to lower your blood pressure.

 

 

The closer we got to the top, the more people just plunked themselves down on the rocks and made themselves comfortable…

 

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And why not?

It’s a great place to read, unwind…and enjoy the day.

 

 

At the top you cross a wonderful iron bridge…

 

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Look both ways…

 

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And say thank you Jackson Falls…

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with you.

 

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And your rocks.

(Or maybe that was just me.)

Done with the Falls, we headed into town for some sustenance.

 

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And found the cutest pumpkin display ever…

 

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Next to our destination.

 

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It looked promising.

 

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Warm and inviting.

 

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A vintage inn and tavern whose bar was packed to the rafters that late Saturday afternoon.

 

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I wanted to love it.

 

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I mean come on, they had ski lift seating….

 

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And a sign for the Woodchuck Trail. Who doesn’t love that?

But the service was terrible, the beer was warm and the food? When it finally came, over an hour after we ordered, was barely edible.

Sorry Martin, I didn’t even bother with pictures. Dry meatless ribs and a soggy Rachel sandwich do not warrant photographs.

 

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But martian pumpkins and gourds?

Definitely do.

White Mountains trip Day 2…. Lower Jackson Falls

 

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When I say Falls, I’m not talking Niagara…

 

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In October, these are dotted with bright foliage…..

 

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And cascade gently down the hill.

 

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No barrel required.

 

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Which is good, because it’s a hard look to pull off.

 

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Selfies you shoot into the sun so you can see your hands holding your phone reflected in your glasses are so much easier.

 

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Did I mention there were rocks?

 

 

 

And tranquil pools…

 

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As well as some pretty nice views?

 

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Well there were.

 

 

 

White Mountains trip…Day 2. Mount Washington Valley and Jackson Village.

 

After our moose sighting, we set out through the Mount Washington Valley of New Hampshire.

 

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We’ve done Washington many times and this trip we were just passing through…

 

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It was a crisp and clear 64 degrees down below…

 

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But she already had a 4 inch dusting of snow.

 

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Not yet, thank you very much.

I’ll stay down below where it’s warmer and greener.

 

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Next stop?

Jackson N.H….. where they’re famous for their falls. They’re a little hard to find but when you see houses with backyards like this –

 

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You know you’re getting close.

 

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Along the way, the husband was fascinated by an early snow plow….

 

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But I told him keep walking…. it won’t fit in the barn.

 

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We headed down a path looking for the falls….

 

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And found a few rocks…

 

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With a wedding venue set up alongside. A sign said the public was invited, and to feel free to come as you are.

You have to love New England.

 

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Still looking for the falls, we backtracked, and walked up a steep sidewalk past a very pink cottage.

 

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And found more rocks.

 

 

Some running water….

 

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And the soon to be married couple…

 

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Taking some wedding portraits with an interesting backdrop.

And finally,  the bottom of the falls….

 

 

 

 

 

White Mountains trip Day 2… Moose, mountains and fall colors.

 

Moose.

When you think of Maine? You think of lobster… and moose. But let me tell you, I’ve lived here on and off since 1978 and have seen exactly one moose in the wild. Granted we live in the Mid Coast region and they’re more prevalent up north, but still… one in 41 years is not a good ratio.

 

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So when we crossed the border into New Hampshire after leaving the Moose Cave in Grafton Notch….. and I saw numerous signs warning of the dangers of moose crossings?

I thought, yeah.

 

 

We’ll never see one.

Until we did.

Right there on the side of the road…

 

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A moose!

 

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Happily munching away on some swamp grasses.

A real live moose!

 

 

And I was halfway out of the car to get some really good pictures when the husband said no. This was a teenage male and though he was probably too young to rut…. it was that time of year.

 

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So I had to stalk him from an open window instead.

 

 

But I saw a moose!

My second in 41 years…

 

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And then all too soon he was tired of us….

 

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And headed back to the woods.

 

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Goodbye moose….

I may not live long enough to see another wild one of you, but thanks for showing up and making my day.

As I said before, the fall colors were all over the place. We had an early turn this year so by the time we got to the mountains, many places were past peak foliage. But that doesn’t mean they weren’t still spectacular…

 

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Rusty oranges…

 

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Muted greens and yellows…

 

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Peaks of reds.

 

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Even speckled with rain, I’ll take them.

 

 

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It’s different around each bend.

 

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And around each bend?

 

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Another outhouse for the husband to christen.

 

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The journey continues….

 

 

We’re baaaaack!

 

 

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I know, you never missed me.

But we had a fabulous nature filled week in Western Maine and Eastern New Hampshire and are happily exhausted.

We toured the White Mountains…. hiked, resort hopped, slept with rubber ducks, took beautiful scenic drives, leaf peeped, stalked a moose, went sight seeing, built a cairn, peed in more portapotties than I thought possible, and basically ate and drank our way across 2 states.

Life is good.

At least for us.

There are 1704 photos waiting to be posted here… so it may not be good for you.

And if you thought my series about the red rocks of Arizona were plentiful?

We were in granite country for 7 days people!

Rocks and trees, trees and rocks, more trees, even more rocks. We even went to a rock museum.

Weeeeeee!

 

 

But there are some baby barn updates I need to fit in, as well as all the other scheduled stuff…. so it won’t be wall to wall granite.

You’re welcome.